Customer Questions: How to Safely Drain Liquid From Drums

Question: Do you have a product to connect two stacked 55 gallon drums so one drains into the other?

Answer: We do not have a product that would allow you to drain one drum directly into another, nor do we recommend stacking drums. If the drums fell over, one or both could hit a nearby worker. Someone could also slip and fall on the spilled liquid if the drums were full.

There are a couple of options to safety remove and transfer liquids from one drum to another and avoid a costly workers’ compensation claim.

You can fit your drum with a faucet and siphon to get liquid out and into another container. These products work best with drums that lay horizontal.

If you’re pumping liquid out of an upright or vertical drum, you can use a drum pump with a wedge placed underneath to ensure you get every last drop of liquid out and into another container.

It’s important to keep the type of liquid you will be dispensing from the drum in mind when purchasing a faucet, siphon or drum pump. Polyethylene (plastic) products are compatible with most water- and oil-based liquids, whereas flammable and corrosive liquids should be dispensed from metal products to prevent chemical breakdown.

Overall, both of these methods are safer alternatives to stacking drums on top of each other to transfer liquids.

Brittany

Brittany Svoboda is the Technical Content Administrator at New Pig, where she is responsible for creating and editing content to help customers comply with regulations, select the appropriate products for their applications, stay safe and protect their environments.

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